2 hour connection at Chicago?

Hello again. We're looking at a connecting flight at Chicago O'hare this summer and would appreciate a few opinions on its feasibility.

We'd be arriving in UC off the VS39 at T5, connecting to an AA flight from T3 exactly 2 hours later. All on one 'thru ticket'.

A 'legal connection' is 90 mins or more.

If anyone has any thoughts i'd be very grateful.

You'll probably do it, but it will be tight. First you have to clear immigration and customs (with your bags) and at ORD that's taken me anything from 5 mins to 60 mins (and that's normally being off quick and fleet footed), then the Air Train to T3, recheckin and through security to catch your flight.

If you don't make it, then AA should put you on the next available flight if you're on one PNR, so maybe a stress reducer - if you're going on to a frequent destination, that could be just an hour later!

We went through ORD a few years back and it was a breeze.

However we were on a total AA flight from LHR which landed really early at 10.25am. Immigration was empty, so straight thru. Then we picked up bags only to drop them straight off just outside the arrivals hall, as AA did transfer onwards.
We then went up the escalator to the place where you catch the mono-train which takes you to T3.

I'd choose ORD for a transfer again but not so sure it would be such an 'easy' process arriving when the VS 39 at nearly 2pm. AA use ORD as a hub, so there must be loads of other flights they'd put you onto if you did miss the connection. Being one of the first off the plane will help

We experienced a "Challenge Anika" experience at Charlotte once with US Airways. We literally ran around the terminals, arriving at the gate with moments to spare only to be told they'd combined 2 flights and therefore we were delayed ii)

Thanks for the comments both.

We'd be connecting on AA to Seattle. There are 2 other AA flights to Seattle that afternoon/evening, so that gives me some consolation that if disaster were to strike we'd have other options (and so would our bags) to get to Seattle that evening.

We've currently booked the VS23 to LAX, with a night stopover before heading to Seattle the next morning, but now thinking that we may as well just get there rather than hanging about in an LAX hotel.

The other option which has just popped in to my head is to fly VS to Vancouver, and then hop over to Seattle on one of the connecting flights.

Does anyone have any experience of connecting from the UK - Canada - USA?

One advantage is that at YVR you will pre-clear your entry into the US there so 'saving' the formalities when you enter the US- you arrive in the US as a domestic passenger.

I found this connection tool on the YVR airport.


You might want to consider getting the train from Vancouver to Seattle as well as spending a few days there as it is a beautiful city.

One advantage is that at YVR you will pre-clear your entry into the US there so 'saving' the formalities when you enter the US- you arrive in the US as a domestic passenger.

In my experience passing through US immigration in Canadian airports is no faster than in US airports - the advantage is, if any, that you exit the US airport as a domestic passenger so it's quicker at that point.

I totally understand your reasoning about the other AA flights to Seattle should you miss your connection.

However, have you considered the VS7 in that regard? You would get a long flight in UC and then you have a couple of options with Virgin America to connect on the same day to Seattle (plus some tier points).

Re Canada -- I quite like the preclearance arrangements, but have never done it at Vancouver. If it was a straight choice between Vancouver and Chicago I would be tempted to go for the former -- again you get a nice long flight in UC. Plus, ORD can be pretty busy in the summer.

Sorry this is not more helpful.

Thanks for the replies.

at240 - we're on the VS23 because the VS7 isn't available on our outbound date (7th August). Same goes for the VS19 to SFO.
Also, when we booked (in September 2011) Virgin didn't fly to Vancouver so there was no other option. I seem to remember I came out in a cold sweat at the thought of 4 hours on AA or UA so Chicago was discounted at that time

Virgin America are being quite reasonable in letting us change our flight from LAX-SEA to SAN-JFK later in our trip for a $75 fee plus the extra fare. However Holiday Inn are very much 'computer says no' about changing the hotel at LAX, so we'd lose a bit of money on that reservation.

So, I phoned VS Upper Class to change the flight from LAX to Vancouver.

The two different agents I spoke to in the last 2 days said it'd be a £25pp change fee + the internal flight cost, and I'd have a 'through ticket' with connections etc.

Spoke to an agent today who said all of the above isn't correct as I'm on a G ticket upgraded from economy. It'll actually be £93pp change fee + internal flight on a different ticket.

This is frustrating because I've spent a fair amount of time in the last 2 days working out how we can get the trip changed.

Ho hum... I guess plenty of people would give an arm and a leg for an UC trip to LAX.

I guess the best thing we can do is hope a couple of seats open up on the VS7 (agent said it's looking quiet), and then shift our VX flight forward.

I've made a connection in ORD in less than 30 minutes (just under), with carry on luggage only and GOES. In summer, though, I'd dread connecting through there on the way back without such expedient helpers, as they add a lot of flights populated with non-US citizens with, seemingly, a ton of luggage, and clearing the lines and getting your cases can take an eternity. It looked like hell, frankly, last August, hot, super crowded, etc etc. I waited 20 minutes to half an hour to get my case - which is when I decided I would make a better effort at having carry on luggage only even for week-long trips from now on. 2 hours in summer at ORD might be cutting it close.

But a stopover at LAX? Hhhmmm...

The one thing with ORD, as it's been said, is you will have plenty of opportunities for rebooking. You have some things going for you, flying Tuesday, which means flights not too full, so shifting out a flight shouldn't be too much of a hassle, and arrivals will probably not be as bad as Th/Fr/Sa. All in all I think you will do fine.